PreKindergarten

Why Pre-Kindergarten?The pre-K experience is critical, as it helps 3 and 4-year-old children develop the academic and life skills that will carry them into adulthood. Pre-K provides children with essential opportunities to learn and practice the social-emotional, problem-solving, and academic skills that they will use throughout their lives.The Salazar pre-K program…

Boosts academic skills

Fuels intellectual curiosity

Fosters independence

Instills a love of lifelong learning

At Salazar, we offer a Tuition-Based Preschool Program, which is a full day model (8:30 am - 3:30 pm) that provides childcare in addition to preschool. The tuition for this program is $4,700 per student. We also expect our students to dress in the Salazar uniform.

Please call us with any questions - (773)534-8310.

How do I Apply?Applications for the current school year (2014-2015) are still being accepted on a rolling basis. You may apply to a Chicago: Ready to Learn! (CRTL) program in person at an authorized application site or at an authorized application event. For a list of these events, please call the CRTL Hotline (312) 229-1690. Paper applications will be available at the application sites or can be downloaded. Please note that income, residency, and proof of birth documents are required for all application submissions except for students in temporary living situations.Please note: Students enrolling or transferring after April 24, 2015 are not guaranteed a spot for next year in the same school. If you enroll your student after April 24th please be sure to complete an application for the following school year (2015-2016).

Applications for the upcoming school year (2015-2016) will be accepted during the application period from March 2, 2015 – May 1, 2015.You may apply to a Chicago: Ready to Learn! program in person, at anauthorized application siteor at an authorized application event. For a list of these events, please call the CRTL Hotline (312) 229-1690. Paper applications will be available at the application sites or can bedownloaded. Please note that income, residency, and proof of birth documents are required for all application submissions except for students in temporary living situations.

Enrollment Information FLyers

Information about enrolling in PreK can be found on this flyer: (English on the left, Spanish on the right)

Parent Resources

Prekindergarten is a major milestone in the life of a child! Help your child prepare by talking about what school might be like. Ask your child what they are thinking and feeling about going to school. Remember, what seems normal to adults may seem very overwhelming or frightening to a child at first. Feeling nervous, scared, excited, or unsure are all normal feelings. Be positive and supportive - prekindergarten will start your student on the path to becoming a lifelong learner!Consider checking out a few of these books from the library:

Meeting with your child’s teacher will be a two way conversation—you and the teacher will talk and listen. As the parent, you have valuable information about your child that can allow the teacher to better help your child. Your child's education is a partnership between home and school. Follow these tips for a successful meeting with your child's teacher:

Write down any questions you would like know about your child at school. Some questions might include:

What are the expectations for my child?

How is my child doing at school? What do you see as his/her strengths? Challenges?

Can you show me data about how my child is doing?

How can I support my child’s learning at home?

How can I be involved in the classroom (even if I work during the day or have other commitments)?

Are there other resources at school I should be aware of that can help my child?

Decide on a plan together. As you discuss your questions and the teacher’s questions, decide what you will both do to support your child’s continual growth and learning. Write down what you and the teacher will each do.

Make a plan to stay in touch. Share which mode of communication is best for you—phone calls, texting, email, notes home, etc.

Afterwards, talk to your child about what you learned. The meeting was all about your child! Don’t forget to share with them about what you learned (including their strengths) and what you plan to do to help them keep growing and learning.

Your child’s education is a partnership between home and school. Here are some important things you can do to support your child’s learning at home:

Talk to your child and listen to their responses. Ask them questions about what they are thinking and feeling and respond supportively.

Answer their questions. Young children ask a LOT of questions. It can be overwhelming! However, asking questions is how young children learn. Always acknowledge their questions (“wow, great question”), even if you don’t know the answer—it’s ok to say “I don’t know”! Look up the answer together online or in a book or even talk about what your best guess might be.

Read aloud to your child.

Encourage your child to draw and write—in a journal, on scrap paper, anywhere!

Share your interests with your child and encourage them to tell you about what they are interested in.

Go to the library together, or to play at the local park. Chicago Public Library and Chicago Park District both offer a lot of free events.

Attend meetings with your child’s teacher and follow through on the teacher’s suggestions for how to support academic development at home.

Praise your child for hard work and trying again—this teaches your child to keep going, even when they are faced with a challenge.